Towing a toad????

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BC Excursion

New member
Joined
Dec 6, 2006
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3
Location
Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada
We just purchased a 2006 Fleetwood Excursion 39L and will be towing a 2005 Honda Civic with a Blue Ox towbar. The dealer is telling me that the need for auxiliary brakes on the toad is based on the state or province of registry, not the area you are travelling through. Does this sound reasonable??? I don't have aux brakes and wonder whether I really need them. I realize that the added weight will affect braking but it seems like an awful lot of money to invest if it's not really needed. Suggestions?????????
 
BC Excursion said:
We just purchased a 2006 Fleetwood Excursion 39L and will be towing a 2005 Honda Civic with a Blue Ox towbar. The dealer is telling me that the need for auxiliary brakes on the toad is based on the state or province of registry, not the area you are travelling through. Does this sound reasonable??? I don't have aux brakes and wonder whether I really need them. I realize that the added weight will affect braking but it seems like an awful lot of money to invest if it's not really needed. Suggestions?????????

Once again it appears a dealer is passing out bad information.  There were cases in which US travelers to BC were stopped and ticketed for no auxiliary brakes on the toad.  Weights, lengths, and axillary brake requirements are not covered under the reciprocal agreements.  Besides for your own safety you would be better off to have them installed.
 
Seconding RON, the need for brakes on the towed is based on where the wheels meet the road, and with the combo you cite I think that there are only about 50 states that will require you havfe brakes on the towed .. I know that I can tow my car, empty and with a dry gas tank, in Texas, legally, w/o brakes.  In the other 49 or if I toss my anchor bottle (The water bottle that anchors my Sat dish, six gallons at 8 lbs per gallon) in the towed,  Or fill the gas tank, it needs brakes in Texas too (4,000 lbs curb weight)

There is a 2nd and a 3rd law that makes towed brakes a must as well

1: Physics.  I'm told that having brakes on all wheels can mean as much as a 30 percent difference in stopping distance, don't believe the 30% but I'd take 10 and I've already been in places where 10 percent more stopping distance would have been 5 percent too much as it wree

2: Civil... You hit me because you could not stop fast enough due to not having working brakes on your towed I'm gonna make you pay, and pay, and pay, and Well, you get the idea
 

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